Individuals wishing to receive a license to teach biology at the secondary level have a number of program options. It is not necessary to complete a degree program at NIU at the same time as completing license requirements. With one or two possible exceptions (indicated below) it is strongly suggested that all the professional education requirements are completed at NIU however.
Admission: Potential candidates must be admitted to NIU to be admitted to the program. If they are not admitted to the program, they can not take many of the courses in the program nor can they be recommended by NIU for licensure. Before potential candidates can be admitted, they must pass the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) basics skills test. For information on this tests as well and the others can be found on their web site (www.icts.nesinc.com). Potential candidates have the following choices of student classification.
Undergraduate: Choose this option if not in possession of a college degree. Potential candidates should declare the biology major and pursuing teacher certification in biology.
Post-Graduate: If potential candidates already have an appropriate bachelor's degree (biological sciences) and intend to only pursue certification, not an advanced degree, they may wish to enroll as a post-graduate. Post-graduates are classified as undergraduate students, thus they do not have the ability to enroll in graduate level courses. Potential candidates may choose to pursue this option if they need to take undergraduate biology courses to fulfill academic or program deficiencies. It is possible to switch status from post-graduate to student at large or graduate student. Candidates can not switch back once you have done so.
Student-at-Large: Choose this option if in possession of a bachelor's degree and wish to be able to take some courses for graduate credit. Potential candidates pursue this option when they are unsure of whether or not they wish to pursue a Masters Degree or if they don't have time to complete the lengthy application process for admission to a graduate program as a graduate student. It is always possible to switch status from student-at-large to graduate student.
Graduate Student: A graduate student is someone who is pursuing a graduate degree, either masters or doctorate. It is not necessary to complete the graduate degree to complete the biology certification program.
Health Checks: Potential candidates must be able to demonstrate that they are in good health. TB tests are available for free to NIU students at the NIU Health Center and are good for one year. Potential candidates will need to prove that they do not have TB before the clinical experiences (ILAS 201, ILAS 301, and BIOS 401) and student teaching. Because the typical certification program takes two years, most individual are able to have just two, one before the first clinical experiences and another before the third clinical experience.
Criminal Background Checks: Potential candidates must pass a criminal background check. State law requires all individuals that will work in the public schools to have a criminal background check. Information on how to have the check done is available at the NIU teacher certification website.
Grade Point Average Requirements: In order to become licensed through the NIU certification program in biology, potential candidates must have an overall NIU GPA of 2.5 if they are an undergraduate or 3.0 if they are a student at large or graduate student. In addition, a Science GPA of 2.8 for all biology, chemistry, and physics course work (3.0 for student at large or graduate student) is required and all biology course work must have a grade of C or better.
Science/Math Discipline Course Work: Potential candidates must complete 47 hrs of Biology Content courses, 14 hrs of chemistry (including lab), 8 hrs of Physics (including lab) and 7 hrs of Math. In addition, candidates must pass the ICTS Biology Subject Matter Test.
General Education Course Work: Potential candidates must meet, or have met, the general education requirement for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. In addition, candidates must pass the ICTS Basic Skills Test.
Professional Education Course Work:
Educational Psychology (typically EPS 406, 501 or 508)
Identification of Exceptional Children (typically TLSE 457)
Clinical Experiences: ILAS 201 and 301, BIOS 401
Science Teaching Seminar: BIOS 201, 301, and 401
Methods: BIOS 402, 403
Science Context: BIOS 484
Student Teaching: BIOS 485 and 486
The courses listed above, along with Instructional Technology (PHYS 494), are designed to provide potential candidates with the experiences that will allow them to produce the evidence that will be necessary to demonstrate that they meet ISBE professional teaching standards.
The additional courses taken during this period would depend on student needs and the endorsement(s) sought. Also, The Nature of Science Across Time and Cultures (BIOS 484) and Human Development and Learning, Middle School and High School (EPS 406) can be taken anytime after successfully completing ILAS 201 and BIOS 201.
Note: Detailed course descriptions can be reviewed from the current NIU Course Catalog. Course equivalents from other accredited institutions may be substituted at the discretion of the Certification Advisor.